A Flower in Winter
by Nyx-777
Summary: Just a teaser, it gets a lot nastier from here on in. JS


Note: This is R rated, or will be, and its also my first fanfiction, but I have written many of my own creative works and they are quite extensive. Please enjoy this little teaser, and don't pass it off, as I have much more work to do on it. I don't own the Labyrinth characters, and have merely borrowed them for a short while, if your going to sue me, don't forget the others, ;p  
  
A Flower in Winter Chapter 1  
  
Sarah slowly awoke from a heavy dreamless, yet pleasant sleep, to feel a soft cool hand on her forehead. It was a pleasant sensation she had grown accustomed to in the last few months of dating Jonas. He had told her his mother did it to him and it was the best way to wake up. She smiled sleepily and turned her head from where it was half buried in the fluffy pillow, to look up at him. Where she was expecting Jonas' dark good looks was a black shape. It was dark, she could barely make out his features at all, the crescent moon outside her window creating strange shadows as the wind flicked the branches of the oak outside her window. Her brow creased in confusion, he wouldn't have woken her up this early to go sailing, and she was in her own room, he never slept over at her house. Her parents wouldn't have allowed it, something was wrong.  
"Jonas?" Sarah heard her voice, creaky with sleep that made her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth.  
The figure gave a slight chuckle, and leaned forward so that Sarah found herself trapped, the weight of the figure sitting beside, and their arm across the other side of her body, making the quilt act as a form of imprisonment. Alarm swept through Sarah, as she struggled to rise and flick on her beside lamp. The figure leaned forward, their free hand catching her wrist.  
Jareth's face appeared in a path of moonlight.  
"I'd hate for you to spoil the romantic element of moonlight." His voice smooth and seductive, in control as always. Sarah froze in fright. There he was, Jareth, someone who's face she hadn't got through a day without remembering for the last three years. He moved his grip to her hand and kissed the inside of her palm in a very intimate gesture. Sarah tried to stop the fear that shuddered through her and pulled away from his grasp. He still had the same arrogant features, but something Sarah couldn't name what had changed about him.  
"You.... what do you want?" Sarah asked not daring to move as her hip was pressed against his. She asked the question in order to smother her queries about his appearance. Of all the silly things to ask him at a time like this, and after three years of his absence, she thought angrily to herself, becoming more and more awake.  
"What I've always wanted, except this time its different," His tone was smug; he obviously had a plan and was excited to reveal it to her. Three years had honed her skills at reading people, but it would have taken a complete idiot not to see how arrogant Jareth was at that moment. She had been in awe the first time he had come to her three years ago, having never believed in magic or that her wishes could come true, and then the king had appeared there, right before her very eyes. Now a similar awe filled her, but it wasn't simply his magic from the past being remembered. Sarah could feel the power practically radiating from him. He was much more powerful than before, even towards the very end when he had been exerting his will over hers. Which meant that he would be better at picking up her thoughts, warning bells rung on that last thought as Sarah did a mental shutdown and thrust up walls against him.  
She clenched her teeth and glared at him. He laughed.  
"Come, come, Sarah, do you honestly think that I would ravish your mind?" He smiled wickedly, "However exciting the thought may be to you," and he hesitated as he watched her checks flush, and then continued on, "I'm just here to pay you a little visit, do you know that its three years to the day that you conquered my labyrinth?" He paused again; she just knew he had more to say, but that he wanted to make his point about his labyrinth.  
"Oh really? I had no idea." She said with false sweetness.  
"It's amazing how magical the number three is don't you think? Almost calls for some sort of celebration...." He let the sentence sink in and to Sarah's horror she found herself realizing what it was he wanted.  
"I'm not saying the words, I love Toby and my family, and I also love Jonas and all my friends. It didn't matter that what you did to us made me different to what I would have been had you left me; in fact I think I owe you thanks for making me realize that I was childish and a little spoilt girl. Now I can think for myself, and you don't have anything that I want, neither can you take anything from me." Sarah felt like someone had breathed life into a part of her that she had shut off three years ago. All the cobwebs had been blown out, something had been let go, and she felt all the better for it. Jareth must have felt it, because his confident smile turned to one of cruelness, and Sarah briefly wondered if she had overstepped the boundaries. She quickly bit down on that thought; Jareth had no power over her. At least not then, but now....  
She waited for his response.  
"Oh, your very wrong about that, I can take something from you and I will, as you say, you're no longer a child, which means you can have all the concerns of an adult, as well as the pleasures." Jareth glanced at her between lowered lids, the underlying meaning of his statement not going unnoticed by Sarah, who's hastily indrawn breathe must have reassured Jareth of the reaction he had provoked.  
"You wouldn't dare!" Sarah said wildly, fighting to get up and away from him.  
"Wouldn't I?" Instead of stopping her he let her free and Sarah still found the covers binding her down, but she had managed to struggle to a more upright position. Jareth with a flick of his wrists produced a crystal ball, and then suspended it in mid-air, making it swing backwards and forwards right before Sarah's eyes. She saw the colours swirl in its depth and couldn't help but be drawn in. Her lids felt heavy as the hypnotic movement relaxed her tense front. She felt sleepy again, and her barriers against Jareth started to come down. She felt his triumph through half shut eyes, but could do nothing to stop him. He was getting closer, Sarah could feel it. He was finally going to capture her forever.  
  
"No!" Sarah managed to cry, and sat bolt upright, eyes wide open, feeling as though electric sparks ran through her entire body. She gasped her relief as she saw her room materialize in glorious soft morning sunlight.  
A dream, it had all been a dream. She crashed heavily back on the pillows and sighed. It had all been a horrible nightmare. She glanced over at her alarm clock, an hour before Jonas picked her up. She smiled contentedly as she got up and headed for her on suite.  
When her attitude towards Toby had changed so dramatically, and then slowly her manner to her stepmother also changed, her father had been so pleased, that during renovations to the house he had let Sarah have a small on suite to her bedroom to respect her privacy. It was small and had only a shower, toilet and sink, but it was hers. It was in the same shades as her made over bedroom. Ocean blue and white.  
Gone was the orange and flowered wallpaper; in its place were white walls with a dark blue trim, light blue curtains, and everything else in varying shades of blue. All her toys from before had left when the room had been renovated; they were stored in three huge boxes in the attic. She had also removed the desk with the mirror attached to it, that she used to so often act in front of for herself, and in its place was a dark wooden roller desk for her to study at. The entire process had been a fabulous seventeenth birthday present, and Sarah almost felt sorry for her father for trying to make her mothers death up to Sarah. In fact she did feel sorry, but he was happy with little Toby and he's new wife, and that was the important thing, Sarah constantly reminded herself.  
Her thoughts briefly turned back to the three boxes in the attic with all her treasures stored inside. Her mind hummed around all the three things in her life she could think of. Startled, she suddenly realized what she was doing as she toweled herself dry and forced herself to think about Jonas.  
Jonas was a year older than her, having repeated when he moved to America from Australia. He was tall, athletic, with a gorgeous body and dark brown hair and eyes, almost the colour of dark chocolate, Sarah's favourite. She had had trouble with boys ever since experiencing the Goblin King's horrible Labyrinth, and found herself after something more than just physical attraction. She went out with two different boys during her senior years, but it wasn't until her final year that Jonas had arrived and his exotic attraction made him the most sort after boy for a few weeks. His friendly outgoing nature made him liked by all those around him, not even the guys getting jealous over the girls who wanted him. Sarah had first run into him in drama class, as they were assigned parts for the end of year play. By the end of the class she found herself enraptured with him, but didn't ogle at him like all her friends and the rest of the female population of school. She treated him politely and kept to herself whatever attraction she felt for him. After playing this game for weeks into the first semester Sarah was assigned as the lead female roles understudy to practice with Jonas, who within the first hour of the very first class had been given the lead. Sarah was unsure of what really happened, butterflies in her stomach and pictures of him kissing her in her head, but soon they were seeing each other all the time, he took her sailing, and they were officially labeled as a couple. Sarah was thankful that all her friends weren't angry or jealous at her.  
Jonas proved to be a doting boyfriend. He took her sailing, to the movies where he behaved like the perfect gentleman. If he went to parties were Sarah was not invited, or didn't wish to go, he only stayed for a short while and didn't participate in the drunken raucous, but snuck to her bedroom window via the tree outside.  
She had not told him what had happened to her when she was only fifteen, but that a bad experience with a boy made her shy of them and hard to trust. He had been so understanding. So when they had been snuggled together in bed, he never ever pressured her for anything. He was in fact pleased that she treated her virginity like it was something special, as all his sisters had done, and as their mother had taught them. Jonas' mother had told him that it was special, and that he should respect and love the girl, who decided to give it to him, and Jonas told Sarah that and she sighed with relief. They had even planned a rough time for the magic moment. Sarah would be eighteen in six days, and the pair were taking Jonas' father's sailing boat out to an island with cabins on it and staying the night there. Summer hadn't come yet and it would be completely empty. In fact she was going sailing again with him this afternoon.  
The sea was over an hours drive away, but Jonas always made the trip seem like so much more than a simple drive. Sarah had had trouble finding her feet on the boat 'Wave Sweeper' named so after some Celtic myth. Sarah brushed her drying hair back from her face. She had never worn it the same as when she had been in the Labyrinth, now it was much longer, and she wore it in plaits and braids most of the time, or let it hang loosely about her shoulders. She pulled on an old pair of jeans that were flexible enough for he to move around quite easily in, and a white v-neck bonds top so she didn't have any sleeves to bother getting in her way. Picking up her schoolbooks she rushed downstairs to the kitchen, grabbing her navy waterproof jacket from the back of her bedroom door on the way.  
"Good morning every one." Sarah said brightly as she entered the kitchen that the rest of her family already occupied. She smiled cheerfully, refusing to let the nightmare spoil her day. So what if it had been three years since Jareth had taken Toby? She hadn't even seen him or felt his presence. Even if her brain refused to completely let go.  
"Good morning Sarah, your very bright this morning." Her father commented from his newspaper. She grinned at him.  
"Jonas is taking me sailing this afternoon, but I'll be home in time for tea." Her stepmother, Karen, smiled at her. She had been so pleased when Sarah had come home and said she had a boyfriend. Sarah had gathered from the way Karen acted that during Karen's high school years her life had revolved around boys.  
"Is it alright for you to look after Toby tomorrow night?" She asked.  
"Sure, I'd love to." Sarah said, knowing that after she put Toby to bed Jonas would come over. She had taken the role of babysitting Toby quiet seriously though, and spent a whole lot of her time with him. He hadn't noticed her come in; he was so busy with drawing at his little table in the kitchen. Sarah finished her breakfast and went over to give him a hug before she left. It was a customary thing, and one morning when she had forgotten he had cried all day until she came home from school. She squeezed him tight and kissed the top of his golden haired head.  
"Look Sawwar." Toby couldn't say her name properly, and she loved the way he said it.  
"What is it Toby?" Sarah asked looking down at the picture he had drawn.  
Sarah looked down at a stick figure with a ridiculous cape and bright blonde hair. One green eye and one blue. Her stomach contracted in fear as she reached down to take the picture.  
"Toby," Sarah said carefully, "May I have the picture?" She reached across and took it from him as he started up at her with his enormous blue eyes.  
"He isn't coming back is he?" Toby asked. Sarah was astounded by his intelligence, but then Toby was a bright baby, something about the Labyrinth and the Goblin King had changed him too.  
"No, he'll never bother you again, I'm going to look after you forever!" Sarah said brightly, giving him another quick hug, before picking up her bag and coat again and running out the door where Jonas' car had just pulled up.  
She looked at the picture in disgust before shoving it in her bag. She didn't want Toby to see what she would do with it. Hopping in the car, Jonas waited till she had clicked on her seat belt, and pecked him on the cheek, before driving off at a sedately pace. Sarah smiled. She knew he did it so her parents didn't think he was some sort of maniac behind the wheel like they had assumed about most teenage boys.  
"Still up for sailing this arvo?" Jonas Australian drawl had hardly changed at all. He was so easy going and accepting. If all Australians were like this then she was leaving with him when he went home in two years time.  
"Sure am. See, I'm dressed for it."  
He glanced her way and nodded. He was quieter than usually this morning, and Sarah decided she was also too worried about things to bother talking. The picture in her bag was burning a hole in her mind, and distracted with wanted to call out curses at Jareth, Sarah broke the silence.  
"How was the party last night?" She asked. Jonas had gone to an eighteenth birthday that Sarah had been invited to but been unable to attend.  
"Boring as all hell, I would have come to see you last night except that by the time I managed to get away I would have woken you up and I didn't want to do that. Did you wait up for me?" Jonas' voice was casual as always, but Sarah realized he felt bad for not going to see her last night.  
She smiled at him warmly.  
"Don't worry about it. You can make it up to me later." She said giving him a sly look.  
He smiled and was silent again for the rest of the trip. Upon arriving at school he dropped Sarah off at her first class, and disappeared off to his own. Sarah managed to get through the entire day without thinking about the picture stuffed in her bag. During her free period, while she waited the long two hours for Jonas to get out of class, she could do nothing but think about it. It was burning a hole in her bag. Sarah didn't want to touch it. Finally, she decided it would be safe to look at it in the spring afternoon. He could do her no harm. She was sitting in the middle of a school, and there were other people around. Jareth couldn't just pop up out of nowhere, and go unnoticed. Not that Sarah thought he would. But the strange co-incidence of having that dream in the morning and then Toby drawing that picture, was just too weird for Sarah's tastes.  
Taking the picture out she looked at it. One green eye, one blue. Sarah looked around for any sign of Jareth and then quite deliberately tore it up into tiny squares and dropped the lot into the nearest bin. It gave her great satisfaction to do that, and she felt like whatever ominous spell Jareth had been holding over her all day was gone. He wasn't coming back. It was just a nightmare. She was an adult now, no silly dreams where going to turn her back into a frightened girl.  
She walked back into the library a buried herself in texts for an American civil war essay. She almost smiled as she walked, the dream must have been a subconscious thing. She had conquered the labyrinth, it was no longer her concern, and as for Toby? Well, she was going to do just as she said she would do, take care of him forever.  
Sarah's fears vanished, however her nervousness over what had happened had perhaps made her less than the very observant cautious person she was, as something watched her walk away.  
  
Next Chapter up shortly. This is merely a teaser to see how I like the idea of fanfic. Please respond, as I have yet to unfold a rather unusual plot. 


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